Location based services using location and motion information

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining location information and motion information of a wireless communication apparatus, and a data set from one or more information sources external to the wireless communication apparatus; and organizing data of the data set for display, where the organizing is based on the location and motion information of the wireless communication apparatus. Methods of other embodiments may also include defining a search radius based on the location information and motion information of the wireless communication apparatus, and the organizing may also include filtering the data set from the one or more information sources to exclude data from information sources outside the defined search radius.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to location based services (LBS), andmore particularly to organizing data from information sources based onlocation and motion information of wireless communication apparatuses.

BACKGROUND

Location Based Services (LBS) may be used in a wide variety of contextsto provide location-based information to end users via wirelesscommunication devices, such as a mobile phone, a GPS apparatus, and soon. Users may get information from an LBS to search for, for example,nearby restaurants, show times at local theaters, sales at shoppingcenters within a specific distance, and more, based on a currentlocation of the wireless communication apparatus.

However, many current Location Based Services do not provide end userswith the most relevant or useful search results. Many services areconfigured to give end users search results within a particular distancefrom the end user's current location, using only the location of thewireless communication apparatus to get search results. The results maynot inform the end user as to which search results are the easiest toreach, which ones coincide with the end user's travel direction, and soon. Thus, many of the results returned to the end user may not be usefulor relevant, and it may be difficult for the end user to choose aparticular destination that meets his or her immediate needs.

SUMMARY

Shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages areprovided through the provision, in one aspect, of a method. The methodincludes obtaining, by one or more processors, location information andmotion information of a wireless communication apparatus, and a data setfrom one or more information sources external to the wirelesscommunication apparatus. The method further includes organizing, by theone or more processors, data from the data set for display, where theorganizing is based on the location and motion information of thewireless communication apparatus. The method may advantageously organizedata of the data set for an end user to provide the end user with morerelevant and useful data, for example, at the beginning of an organizedlist of data of the data set.

In one embodiment, the location information or motion information wasupdated at the wireless communication apparatus prior to the obtainingThis may, for example, advantageously provide an end user withup-to-date data from information sources automatically as the end user'swireless communication apparatus moves from one location to another.

In another embodiment, the method may include acquiring a user request,and the obtaining may be performed in response to acquiring the userrequest. This may, for example, advantageously provide an end user withup-to-date data from information sources at any time the end userchooses to receive updated data.

In another embodiment, the motion information may include one or more ofa speed of the wireless communication apparatus, a direction of motionof the wireless communication apparatus, an average speed of thewireless communication apparatus, and a pattern of motion of thewireless communication apparatus. For example, including the directionof motion of the wireless communication apparatus may organize data ofthe data set so that information sources that are in the direction ofmotion are put higher in an organized list of results, while informationsources in the opposite direction are put lower in the organized list(or excluded from the list altogether).

In another embodiment, the method may also include defining a searchradius based on the location information and motion information of thewireless communication apparatus. Organizing the data may also includefiltering the data from the one or more information sources so that datafrom information sources outside the defined search radius getsexcluded. This may, for example, advantageously define a search radiussize that is appropriate for an end user's mode of travel, such as asmaller radius for walking versus a larger radius for driving on ahigh-speed freeway.

In another embodiment, the search radius may be defined by one or moreof an average speed of the wireless communication apparatus, a patternof motion of the wireless communication apparatus, and trafficinformation associated with the location information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus. For example, defining the search radiusaccording to an average speed of the wireless communication apparatusmay appropriately define a large radius for an apparatus with a highaverage speed (e.g., a wireless communication apparatus in a movingvehicle) or a small radius for an apparatus with a low average speed(e.g., being carried by a pedestrian).

In another embodiment, the method may also include obtaining auser-defined search radius parameter. The search radius may be furtherdefined by the user-defined search radius parameter. For example,instead of relying on an automatically calculated search radius, an enduser may manually define an advantageous search radius.

In another aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computerprogram product may include a computer readable storage medium readableby one or more processing apparatus and instructions stored on thecomputer readable storage medium for execution by the one or moreprocessing apparatus. The instructions may be instructions forperforming a method that includes obtaining, by one or more processor,location information and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus, as well as a data set from one or more information sourcesexternal to the wireless communication apparatus. The method alsoincludes organizing, by the one or more processor, data from the dataset for display, where the organizing is based on the location andmotion information of the wireless communication apparatus.

In a further aspect, a computer system is provided. The computer systemmay include a memory, one or more processing apparatus in communicationwith the memory, a computer readable storage medium and one or moreprograms stored on the computer readable storage medium and includingprogram instructions that are executable by the one or more processingapparatus, via the memory, to perform a method. The method includesobtaining, by one or more processor, location information and motioninformation of a wireless communication apparatus, as well as a data setfrom one or more information sources external to the wirelesscommunication apparatus. The method also includes organizing, by the oneor more processor, data from the data set for display, where theorganizing is based on the location and motion information of thewireless communication apparatus.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesset forth herein. Other embodiments and aspects are described in detailherein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more aspects of the present disclosure are particularly pointedout and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusionof the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, andadvantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node, in accordance with one or moreaspects set forth herein;

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance with one ormore aspects set forth herein;

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with one or moreaspects set forth herein;

FIG. 4 depicts a hardware overview of a computing node, in accordancewith one or more aspects set forth herein.

FIG. 5 depicts a workflow, in accordance with one or more aspects setforth herein;

FIGS. 6A-6G depict exemplary embodiments of the process depicted in FIG.5; and

FIG. 7 depicts examples of the processes described in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6Gin practice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure and certain features, advantages, anddetails thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to thenon-limiting examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processingtechniques, etc., are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure thedisclosure in detail. It should be understood, however, that thedetailed description and the specific examples, while indicating aspectsdescribed herein, are given by way of illustration only, and not by wayof limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/orarrangements, within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying conceptswill be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Location Based Services (LBS) may be used in a wide variety of contextsto provide location-based information to end users via wirelesscommunication apparatuses, such as, by way of example only, a mobilephone, a GPS apparatus, and so on. Users may obtain information or datavia an LBS to find geographically relevant information sources, such as,by way of example only, nearby restaurants, show times at localtheaters, sales at shopping centers, and more. Generally, data from oneor more information sources may be organized for display, for example,to an end user of the wireless communication apparatus. Organization ofthe data may not, however, present data for display in a way that ismost useful or relevant to an end user. For example, an end usertraveling along a highway may want to find hotels within ten miles. AnLBS may obtain the traveler's position from a wireless communicationapparatus and return to the end user a list of all hotels within a tenmile radius of the vehicle. However, the results may not only includehotels within ten miles along the driver's travel direction, which arethe most useful and relevant results, they may also include hotels tenmiles in the opposite direction, hotels within ten miles in areas thatmay be difficult to access from the highway being traveled, and so on.As a result, the end user may be provided with a list of hotels in whichthe least useful information is presented first in a list of results,with information that is most useful and relevant possibly presentedlower in a list.

Advantageously, the techniques presented herein provide improvedtechniques for location based services that may take into account bothlocation information and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus to better organize search results for an end user according tothe location and motion information obtained from the wirelesscommunication apparatus.

The present disclosure provides, in part, methods, computer programs,computer systems, and/or network devices that may address one or moreissues described above, and that may obtain, by one or more processor,location information and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus, and a data set from one or more information sources externalto the wireless communication apparatus; and that may organize, by theone or more processor, data of the data set for display, the organizingbased on the location and motion information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.

Reference is made below to the drawings, which are not drawn to scalefor ease of understanding, wherein the same reference numbers usedthroughout different figures designate the same or similar components.

FIGS. 1-4 depict various aspects of computing, including cloudcomputing, in accordance with one or more aspects set forth herein.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and location based services 96 as describedherein.

FIG. 4 depicts a hardware overview of a computing node 11, which may bea cloud computing node 10, an information source, a wirelesscommunication apparatus, and/or a computer system, in accordance withone or more aspects set forth herein.

Program/utility 40 as set forth in FIG. 1 provides the functionality oflocation based services 96 and can include one or more program 440 asset forth in FIG. 4, and program/utility 40 can optionally include someor all of one or more program 441, 442, 443, 444, 445. Additionally,computer system/server 12 may communicate with one or more externaldevices 14, a display 24, and a GPS device 25 via Input/Output (I/O)interfaces 22.

One or more program 440 can have a set (at least one) of programmodules, and may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and notlimitation, as well as an operating system, one or more applicationprograms, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operatingsystem, one or more application programs, other program modules, programdata, and one or more program, or some combination thereof, may includean implementation of a networking environment. One or more program 440(and optionally at least one of one or more program 441, 442, 443, 444,445) generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies ofembodiments of the invention as described herein.

Referring again to FIG. 4:

The present invention may be a system such as a computer system, amethod, and/or a computer program product. The computer program productmay include a computer readable storage medium (or media) havingcomputer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processorto carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

FIG. 5 depicts a workflow, in accordance with one or more aspects setforth herein. By way of example, the processes described with respect toFIG. 5 can be performed using one or more program 440 on one or morecomputing node 10 or one or more computing node 11 as detailed withrespect to FIGS. 1-4.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, one or more program 440 at block 510obtains, at one or more processors 16, location information and motioninformation of a wireless communication apparatus, and data from one ormore information sources external to the wireless communicationapparatus; and one or more program 440 at block 520 organizes the datafor display, the organizing based, in part, on the location and motioninformation of the wireless communication apparatus. For instance, oneor more program 440 at block 510 may obtain location and motion data ofthe wireless communication apparatus that may include one or more of aspeed of the wireless communication apparatus, a direction of motion ofthe wireless communication apparatus, an average speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, and a pattern of more of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.

In one embodiment, one or more program 440 may optionally, at block 530,define a search radius based, in part, on the location and motioninformation of the wireless communication apparatus, and the organizingat block 520 may further include filtering the data from the one or moreinformation sources to exclude data from information sources outside thedefined search radius. Defining a search radius at block 530, forexample, may further include defining the search radius based on one ormore of an average speed of the wireless communication apparatus, apattern of motion of the wireless communication apparatus, and trafficinformation associated with the location information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.

FIGS. 6A-6G depict exemplary embodiments of the process depicted in FIG.5. By way of explanation, in FIGS. 6A-6G, processes are illustrated fromthe point of view of a computing node 11 one or more program 440, awireless communication apparatus (W.C.A.) one or more program 441, andone or more information source (I.S.) one or more program 442. In oneembodiment, one or more program 440 runs on one or more processor ofcomputing node 11 as further illustrated in the examples of FIGS. 1-4.In another embodiment, one or more program 440 runs on one or moreprocessor of a wireless communication apparatus. In other embodiments,various programs can run on a different complement of devices. Forexample, in one embodiment, one or more program 440 and one or moreprogram 441 can both run on a wireless communication apparatus, acomputer system, or other combinations of different devices. FIG. 6Aillustrates location based services as described, in part, in FIG. 5.FIGS. 6B-6G elaborate on FIG. 6A, providing additional variantembodiments of one or more programs 440, 441, and/or 442. It may beunderstood that the variant embodiments are not limiting, and additionalembodiments may include combinations of any one or more of embodimentsillustrated by FIGS. 6B-6G, as well as additional alternativeembodiments.

FIG. 6A illustrates location based services including a computing node11 one or more program 440. One or more program 440 running on acomputing node 11 at block 510 obtains, by one or more processor 16,location information and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus, and data from one or more information sources external to thewireless communication apparatus. One or more program 440 may obtainlocation information and motion information 540 from wirelesscommunication apparatus one or more program 441. Similarly, data fromone or more information sources may be obtained 550 from one or moreinformation sources one or more program 442. One or more program 440 mayorganize the data from the one or more information sources 520 fordisplay. The organizing may be based on the location information andmotion information of the wireless communication apparatus. Organizeddata may be displayed 590, for example, on wireless communicationapparatus running one or more program 441.

Location and/or motion information of a wireless communication apparatusobtained at block 510 may be determined by one or more of severalprocesses for determining location and/or motion information. Forexample, obtaining at block 510 may include using a Global PositioningSystem (GPS), including using one or more GPS devices running GPSsoftware. The wireless communication apparatus, for example, may includea GPS device running GPS software, and may communicate with otherexternal GPS devices to determine a location of the wirelesscommunication apparatus. Motion information may be determined, forexample, by obtaining location data at defined time intervals over adefined period of time and calculating a motion of the wirelesscommunication apparatus based on changes in location data over time.Motion information may, in other examples, be determined separately fromlocation information. As described above, computing node 11 may includeone or more GPS device 25 running GPS software, so that computing node11 may, in one example, include one or more external GPS devices used todetermine a location and/or motion of the wireless communicationapparatus. In another example, for instance in embodiments in whichcomputing node 11 is a cloud computing node 10, an external GPS devicerunning GPS software may communicate location and/or motion informationto wireless communication apparatus running one or more program 441, andcomputing node 11 running one or more program 440 may obtain locationand motion information from wireless communication apparatus. In anotherexample, obtaining at block 510 may include triangulation ortrilateration to determine location and/or motion information of awireless communication apparatus. In such an example, differences insignal delay, such as radio signals broadcast by wireless network towersand/or wireless communication apparatuses, may be used to determine alocation of a wireless communication apparatus. Other processes fordetermining location and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus may also be possible, and any may be used with the methods,computer program products, and computer systems disclosed herein.

Motion information obtained at block 510 may include one or more of aspeed of the wireless communication apparatus, a direction of motion ofthe wireless communication apparatus, an average speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, and a pattern of motion of the wirelesscommunication apparatus. Location information or motion informationobtained at block 510 may further include a current location of thewireless communication apparatus, and may include traffic information.Motion and location information for the wireless communication apparatusmay include other information and is not limited to any one type ofinformation or combination of different types of information.

Motion and/or location information obtained at block 510 may be used toorganize, at block 520, data from the one or more information sources.The organizing may include, for example, sorting the data into a listfor display, which may be displayed, for example, on the wirelesscommunication apparatus. The organizing may, in one embodiment, use oneor more types of motion and location information to determine a score,such as a relevancy score, that may facilitate one or more program 440determining a sort order for the data in the list for display. Forexample, in one embodiment, the motion information may include adirection of motion of the wireless communication apparatus. Data frominformation sources that are upcoming in the direction of motion may bedetermined by one or more program 440 to have a high relevancy orrelevancy score, while data from information sources that are indifferent directions, and particularly opposite the direction of motion,may be determined to have a lower relevancy or relevancy score. The datamay be sorted according to relevancy or relevancy score, so that datafrom the upcoming information sources, such as restaurants and hotelsalong the direction of motion, is presented at or near the top of a listthat is displayed. On the other hand, data from information sourcesopposite the direction of motion, such as restaurants and hotels thathave already been passed by, is presented lower in the list. In oneexample, data from information sources with a low relevancy score may befiltered so as to be excluded from being displayed.

In another embodiment, the motion information may include a speed of thewireless communication apparatus. Speed of the wireless communicationapparatus may also be used by one or more program 440 to determine ascore, such as a relevancy score, that may facilitate determining a sortorder for the data in the list for display. For example, a high speedvalue, such as a vehicle speed on a highway, may be used, in oneembodiment, to determine a higher relevancy for data from informationsources that are within a certain driving distance, while determining alower relevancy score for data from information sources that are verynearby or about to be passed at the measured high speed. In anotherembodiment, the motion information may include an average speed of thewireless communication apparatus.

In another embodiment, the location or motion information may includetraffic information. The traffic information may be obtained from one ormore information sources, a computing node 11 running one or moreprogram 440, or another source. Traffic information may also be used byone or more program 440 to determine a score, such as a relevancy score,that may facilitate determining a sort order for the data in the listfor display. For example, data from a first information source near tothe wireless communication apparatus that is found to be along a routeblocked by heavy traffic, such as traffic caused by construction work,may be determined to have a low relevancy score. Conversely, data from asecond information source further away from the wireless communicationapparatus may be determined to have a higher relevancy score if there islittle traffic found along a route to that information source.

FIG. 6B illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a location based serviceincluding a computing node 11 one or more program 440. In the embodimentillustrated, obtaining location and motion information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus may include requesting location and motioninformation from the wireless communication apparatus 511. In thisexample, computing node 11 running one or more program 440 may beconfigured to send or transmit requests for location and motioninformation to a wireless communication apparatus running one or moreprogram 441. One or more program 441 may be configured to respond torequests for location and motion information and send or transmitinformation to computing node 11. In this example, one or more program440 may be considered to actively control obtaining location and motioninformation of the wireless communication apparatus.

FIG. 6C illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a location basedservice including a computing node 11 one or more program 440. In theembodiment illustrated, obtaining location and motion information of thewireless communication apparatus may include one or more program 441running on wireless communication apparatus pushing location and motioninformation from the wireless communication apparatus 541 to computingnode 11 one or more program 440. In this example, one or more program440 may be considered to passively obtain location and motioninformation of the wireless communication apparatus due to the wirelesscommunication apparatus one or more program 441 controlling sending oflocation and motion information. In one example, pushing location andmotion information from the wireless communication apparatus 541 mayinclude automatically updating location and motion information 543 ofthe wireless communication apparatus. In this example, the obtaining atblock 510 and organizing at block 520 may occur responsive to theautomatic update of the location and motion information 543. In anotherexample, pushing location and motion information from the wirelesscommunication apparatus 541 may include acquiring a user request 542.For instance, one or more program 441 may allow a user to manuallydetermine when to push location and motion information from the wirelesscommunication apparatus to receive updated data from information sourcesrunning one or more program 442. Obtaining at block 510 and organizingat block 520 may occur responsive to acquiring a user request 542.

FIG. 6D illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a location basedservice including a computing node 11 one or more program 440. In theembodiment illustrated, obtaining data from one or more informationsources 510 may include one or more program 440 requesting data frominformation sources 512. In this example, computing node 11 one or moreprogram 440 may request data from any device, system, or apparatus thathas the requisite data for any one or more information sources. Forexample, data from one or more information sources may reside on aremote or dedicated server apparatus. In another instance, data from oneor more information sources may reside in a cloud computing environment,such as described in FIGS. 1-4. In yet another instance, data from oneor more information sources may reside on a computing node as furtherillustrated in FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 4. Data from one or more informationsources may include, but may not be limited to, address information,telephone or other contact information, one or more links to one or morewebsites, advertisements for one or more information sources, and so on.

FIG. 6E illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of a location basedservice including a computing node 11 one or more program 440. In theembodiment illustrated, obtaining data from one or more informationsources 510 may include one or more information sources one or moreprogram 442 uploading data from the one or more information sources tocomputing node 11 running one or more program 440. Uploading data may,for example, result in or add to an information source data store 555 oncomputing node 11 running one or more program 440. Obtaining data fromone or more information sources 550 may include obtaining the data fromthe information source data store 555.

FIG. 6F illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a location basedservice including programming block 530 as depicted in FIG. 5. In theembodiment illustrated, computing node 11 one or more program 440defines, at block 530 a, a search radius based on the location andmotion information of the wireless communication apparatus. A searchradius defined at block 530 a may be defined, for example, by one ormore of an average speed of the wireless communication apparatus and apattern of motion of the wireless communication apparatus. The searchradius may also be defined by traffic information associated with thelocation information of the wireless communication apparatus. Trafficinformation may be obtained, for example, from a GPS service, acloud-based service, or from any other service or source, or combinationof services and sources, that may provide information about traffic andtraffic conditions of a location. Organizing data for display, at block520, may also include filtering the data set from the informationsources, at block 530 b, to exclude data of the data set for informationsources outside the defined search radius. It may be understood thatdefining a search radius at block 530 a and filtering at block 530 bneed not be performed in the order depicted, and other embodiments forimplementing the defining of a search radius and filtering the data setmay be possible.

FIG. 6G illustrates an alternative embodiment of a location basedservice including computing node 11 one or more program 440. In theexample embodiment illustrated, organizing data from one or moreinformation sources 520 may be performed by one or more program 440running on computing node 11 or 441 running on a wireless communicationapparatus. In the example illustrated, data from one or more informationsources 550 may be transmitted 556 to wireless communication apparatusrunning one or more program 440, or one or more program 441 viacomputing node 11 running one or more program 440, or transmitted 556directly from the one or more information sources running one or moreprogram 442, or a combination of both.

FIG. 7 depicts examples of the processes described in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6Gin practice. FIG. 7 depicts examples of wireless communicationapparatuses 54A and/or vehicles 54N carrying wireless communicationapparatuses 54A, and several information sources 710, 711, 721, 722,730, 731. One example of a wireless communication apparatus may be amobile device 54A, such as a mobile phone or personal data assistant.Motion information obtained by one or more program 440 for mobile device54A may include a relatively low speed, a direction of motion and apattern of motion with few changes, and a relatively low average speed.The low average speed and the pattern of motion, as well as otherobtained information obtained by one or more program 440, may indicatethat mobile device 54A is being carried by a pedestrian walking on foot.Accordingly, a relatively small search radius may be defined by one ormore program 440 so that information sources 721, 722 within adetermined walking distance may be displayed by the mobile device 54A,while information sources 710, 711, 730, 731 (for example) outside thedefined search radius may be excluded from display. Information sourcesoutside the determined walking distance may be excluded so that apedestrian running one or more program 440, 441 on wirelesscommunication apparatus 54A does not receive data from informationsources that are likely irrelevant (e.g., too far to walk to within areasonable time). As well, information sources that lie in the directionof motion 721 may be determined by one or more program 550 to have ahigh relevancy score, and display higher in a list of informationsources, than information sources 722 that lie in a direction oppositeor away from the direction of motion.

Another example of a wireless communication apparatus may be a mobiledevice in a vehicle 54N, such as a mobile phone carried in, or a GPSdevice connected to, vehicle 54N. Motion information for mobile device54N may include a relatively high speed, a direction of motion, and arelatively high average speed. The high speed and relatively highaverage speed may indicate that the wireless communication apparatus isin or connected to a vehicle. Accordingly, a relatively large searchradius may be defined by one or more program 440 for wirelesscommunication apparatus 54N, so that information sources 710, 711, 721,722, 731 within a defined driving distance may be displayed by themobile device 54N, while information sources 730 outside the definedsearch radius may be excluded from display. As well, information sourceslie in the direction of motion 710 (for example) may be determined byone or more program 440 to have a high relevancy score, and displayhigher in a list of information sources, than information sources 711that lie in a direction opposite the direction of motion of wirelesscommunication apparatus 54N.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form ofcomprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form ofhave, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include,such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form ofcontain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linkingverbs. As a result, a method or device that “comprises,” “has,”“includes,” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses thoseone or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing onlythose one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or anelement of a device that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains”one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is notlimited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, adevice or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured inat least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are notlisted. It will be further understood that the term “based on” isintended to include both “based on in part” and “based on entirely” or“entirely based on.”

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description set forth herein has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of one or more aspects set forth herein and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand one or more aspects as described herein for variousembodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particularuse contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by one or moreprocessor, location information and motion information of a wirelesscommunication apparatus, and a data set from one or more informationsources external to the wireless communication apparatus; andorganizing, by the one or more processor, data of the data set fordisplay, the organizing based on the location and motion information ofthe wireless communication apparatus.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe location information or motion information was updated at thewireless communication apparatus prior to said obtaining
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising acquiring a user request, and wherein theobtaining is performed responsive to acquiring the user request.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the motion information comprises one or moreof a speed of the wireless communication apparatus, a direction ofmotion of the wireless communication apparatus, an average speed of thewireless communication apparatus, or a pattern of motion of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdefining a search radius based on the location information and motioninformation of the wireless communication apparatus, and whereinorganizing data of the data set for display further comprises filteringthe data set from the one or more information sources to exclude datafrom information sources outside the defined search radius.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the search radius is further defined by oneor more of an average speed of the wireless communication apparatus, apattern of motion of the wireless communication apparatus, or trafficinformation associated with the location information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprisingobtaining a user-defined search radius parameter, and wherein the searchradius is further defined by the user-defined search radius parameter.8. A computer program product comprising: a computer readable storagemedium readable by one or more processing apparatus and storinginstructions for execution by the one or more processing apparatus forperforming a method comprising: obtaining, by one or more processor,location information and motion information of a wireless communicationapparatus, and a data set from one or more information sources externalto the wireless communication apparatus; and organizing, by the one ormore processor, data of the data set for display, the organizing basedon the location and motion information of the wireless communicationapparatus.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein thelocation information or motion information was updated at the wirelesscommunication apparatus prior to said obtaining
 10. The computer programproduct of claim 8, the method further comprising acquiring a userrequest, and wherein the obtaining is performed responsive to acquiringthe user request.
 11. The computer program product of claim 8, whereinthe motion information comprises one or more of a speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, a direction of motion of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, an average speed of the wireless communicationapparatus, and a pattern of motion of the wireless communicationapparatus.
 12. The computer program product of claim 8, the methodfurther comprising defining a search radius based, in part, on thelocation information and motion information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, and wherein organizing data of the data set fordisplay further comprises filtering the data set from the one or moreinformation sources to exclude data from information sources outside thedefined search radius.
 13. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the computer program product is provided as a service in a cloudenvironment.
 14. A computer system comprising: a memory; one or moreprocessing apparatus in communication with the memory; a computerreadable storage medium; and one or more program comprising programinstructions stored on the computer readable storage medium andexecutable by the one or more processing apparatus via the memory toperform a method, the method comprising: obtaining, by the one or moreprocessor, location information and motion information of a wirelesscommunication apparatus, and a data set from one or more informationsources external to the wireless communication apparatus; andorganizing, by the one or more processor, data of the data set fordisplay, the organizing based on the location and motion information ofthe wireless communication apparatus.
 15. The computer system of claim14, wherein the location information or motion information was updatedat the wireless communication apparatus prior to said obtaining
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 14, the method further comprising acquiring auser request, and wherein the obtaining is performed responsive toacquiring the user request.
 17. The computer system of claim 14, whereinthe motion information comprises one or more of a speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, a direction of motion of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, and an average speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus.
 18. The computer system of claim 14, the methodfurther comprising defining a search radius based, in part, on thelocation information and motion information of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, and wherein organizing data of the data set fordisplay further comprises filtering the data set from the one or moreinformation sources to exclude data from information sources outside thedefined search radius.
 19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein theone or more program are provided as a service in a cloud environment.